A great deal of work has been directed to cleaning up the messiness generally inherent in dispensing liquid products from their containers. U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,710, which issued to M. B. Lucas on Feb. 20, 1968, for example, discloses a pouring fitment which frictionally engages the outlet of a bottle and includes a retractable telescoping spout member. A similar adapter arrangement, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,145, which issued to M. Lida on Nov. 3, 1981. In this latter patent, the antidrip adapter is formed by two concentric tubes integrally molded with an annular inclined guide plate connecting them.
A dripless pouring spout with a cooperating closure cap is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,700, which issued to W. E. Hidding on Mar. 14, 1978. In this patent, a pouring adapter similar to that of the described lida patent, but with the back portion of the tubular spout member open, incorporates a deformable antidrip and an annular inclined drip back surface to return excess liquid to the container. The cooperating closure cap member is formed with internal threads to mate with the external rib or thread of the container neck. U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,189, which issued to E. W. Baxter on Dec. 5, 1978, shows a pouring insert, very similar to those described in the patents of lida and Hidding, which is frictionally received and held in the neck of a dispensing bottle. In this patent, an insert cover is held in place by an annular cap whose internal threads mate with the external threads of the container.
Another dripless pouring spout comprising a pouring adapter with a closure cap is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 2,601,039, which issued to J. G. Livingstone on June 17, 1952. Livingstone describes a pouring adapter having an extended pouring spout with an open longitudinal slot on its rear surfaces, the spout being circumscribed by an inclined drainback surface which directs excess or spilled liquid back into the container. A cooperating cap for the adapter is to be frictionally or threadedly received on the upper exterior surfaces of the adapter.
Other prior work has been aimed at providing a liquid measuring device which also serves as the closure for the liquid container. U.S. Pat. No. 2,061,685, which issued to J. M. Wheaton on Nov. 24, 1936, discloses a closure with an integral measuring cup axially aligned therein and adapted to be applied with its open mouth extending substantially into the neck of the container bottle. The means for engagement with the container comprises an integrally formed annular flange having internal threads which mate with external threads on the bottleneck. An annular sealing ring is employed to insure a tight seal. U.S. Pat. 4,273,247, which issued to W. L. Earls on June 16, 1981, provides a closure-cup assembly having internal threads to mate with the external threads of the bottle or container. In this patent, the cup portion of the assembly is held in an inverted position encompassing and partially covering the exterior of said bottle or container when in the closed position.
A liquid container with a nondrip measuring cap is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,056, which issued to J. Heino on Sept. 14, 1982. A resilient insert telescoped in the neck of a container has a projecting annular lip designed to scrape along the inner wall of the measuring cap closure to remove the residual liquid thereon as the cap is applied to the neck of said container. The measuring cap may be frictionally held in place, or may have internal threads on its internal surfaces adjacent its open mouth. As used herein, residual liquid is that which remains on a package surface after the liquid contacts it during the dispensing operation. This can include spillage, dripping, residue, film and the like.
A particularly preferred liquid product pouring and measuring package intended to provide mess-free dispensing of measured quantities of liquid is disclosed in the commonly assigned, copending patent application of Dale E. Barker, Griscom Bettle lll and Robert H. Van Coney entitled LIQUID PRODUCT POURING AND MEASURING PACKAGE WITH SELF DRAINING FEATURE, Ser. No. 545,579, filed Oct. 28, 1983 issued on Nov. 5, 1985 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,862, and hereby incorporated herein by reference.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the Barker et al. invention there is provided a liquid dispensing and measuring package having a measuring cup which serves also as the closure device for the system, and which is adapted to allow mess-free, convenient, and economical dispensing and storage of a liquid product. The package includes a container comprising a body portion with an upwardly extending finish and a dispensing orifice. A transition collar mounted on the container finish has an outwardly extending pouring spout and a circumscribing wall having fastening means formed on its interior surface. A surface intermediate the spout and wall connects them and provides a means for conveying any spilled or residual liquid back into said container. A measuring cup has an open mouth terminating in a lip and is designed such that it is also the closure for said system. The cup has outwardly facing fastening means, such as threads or snap-fit protrusions, formed on its external surface adjacent said lip at its open end. The external fastening means on said measuring cup mate with the inwardly facing internal fastening means on the transition collar to attach and seal the cup in inverted condition.
While the aforementioned liquid dispensing and measuring package of Barker et al. has done much to alleviate the messiness problem inherent in other prior art liquid dispensing packages, it has nonetheless been observed that after a liquid dispensing cycle has been carried out using the package of Barker et al., some liquid usually remains on the exterior surface of the drain back partition of the transition collar, particularly near the drain hole which typically serves as the means for conveying the residual liquid back to the container. This residual liquid tends to spread across the exterior surface of the drain back partition of the transition collar during the next liquid dispensing cycle and may ultimately be discharged over the uppermost edge of the collar, thus causing a liquid mess on the outermost surface of the collar and ultimately on the outermost surface of the container.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to obviate the above-described problems, particularly those associated wtih the aforementioned dispensing package of Barker et al.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liquid dispensing package which provides for the convenient, mess-free dispensing of said liquid, preferably with a measuring cup which can be replaced on said container as its closure with no resulting mess or inconvenience.